Costa Rica digital nomad visa (remote worker stay)

The subcategory covers foreigners who provide services or work remotely for people or companies outside Costa Rica. The core requirement is income: bank statements, accompanied by a sworn declaration that they were requested and obtained from the bank, showing that during the last year you received payments from abroad of at least USD 3,000 a month. If dependants are included, the threshold rises to USD 4,000 a month. Instead of bank statements, the income can also be certified by a public accountant or notary (or their foreign equivalent), and only that certification needs consular legalisation or an apostille.

You must also hold a valid consular or restricted visa if your nationality's country group requires one under Executive Decree 36626-G and the General Visa Directives for non-residents. The grant is subject to a DGME security check of criminal and police records in national and international databases.

File the signed application form (there are separate forms for the digital and the in-person route), the receipt for USD 100 paid to Banco de Costa Rica account 001-0242480-0 (IBAN CR15015201001024248003), an image of the passport biographical page and, if you are already in Costa Rica, of the entry stamp page, the visa if your nationality needs one, and the bank statements with the sworn declaration. Every foreign-language document needs an official Spanish translation. A representative filing on your behalf needs a special power of attorney.

Whether you apply online or in person, you first complete the registration (filiación) on the digital platform and give informed consent under Law 10008. For the in-person route, book an appointment on the DGME web appointment portal under Estancia Nómadas Digitales and attend the central office in La Uruca or a regional office.

The DGME has 15 calendar days to decide in writing. Within five calendar days of receiving the file it may issue a single written notice listing missing items; you then have eight working days to complete them, after which the remaining days of the 15-day period run again. If the missing items are not supplied in time, the application is refused and archived.

Once notified of approval, you and each dependant have three months to request the migration identity document (DIMEX); otherwise the DGME starts cancelling the status. Appointments are booked through the call centre 1311 or Banco de Costa Rica. On the day, bring the payment set in the approval resolution, USD 90 for the document and the one-off guarantee deposit for non-residents in the Estancia subcategory.

A spouse or de facto partner, children under 25, adult children with a disability and elderly people living with the remote worker can apply. They file items 1 to 4 of the main requirements and prove the link with a marriage certificate or partnership record issued within six months, a birth certificate for children, a medical report for a disability or a sworn declaration of cohabitation for older relatives.